I have experience of coaching senior leaders both inside and outside the education sector.
Within universities I have have worked with leaders in senior academic and administrative roles such as DVCs, PVCs, Deans, Heads of Schools and Departments and Directors of Professional Services. I have also expertise in working with senior leadership teams.
My preferred types of coaching include:
• Executive and leadership coaching: I enjoy working on a one-to-one basis with individuals on chosen issues relating to their leadership roles. The client identifies the specific issues that (s)he wishes to bring to the coaching sessions and through the coaching conversations that ensue, outcomes are identified and agreed to enable action and palpable change. Issues can be diverse and varied but quite often emanate from personal leadership styles, personality traits, communications and interpersonal relationships in the organisation, resistance to change, power relationships and striking an acceptable work/life balance.
• Career transition and development coaching: coaching can be really helpful when applying for promotion, preparing for interviews, starting a new job or coping with the adjustments required to transition effectively into a new role. Coaching may also be helpful when facing redundancy or retirement and preparing for the life changes that occur at these times.
• Personal leadership skills coaching: even experienced leaders need to continue to develop and adapt their skills to cope with changing internal and external circumstances impacting on their roles. Coaching may be beneficial at times of structural or cultural change, working with a new boss, handing challenging people or preparing for difficult conversations. Increasing personal resilience, confidence, personal effectiveness, reducing work related stress, improving work/life balance and enhancing personal fulfilment are issues that also emerge fairly frequently in coaching conversations.
My approaches to coaching...
I believe there a number of things that differentiate the way I work as a coach. These include the following:
• My recent experience as a respected and long-serving senior university leader provides excellent in- depth understanding of the internal and external HE context and the current diverse challenges facing many UK universities and their leaders at this time. This contextual understanding is valuable when coaching those working in the UK HE sector. My role as Director of the NCEE Entrepreneurial Leaders Course keeps me up to date with current issues in HE and well connected with senior leaders.
• My extensive experience, background education and qualifications as a nurse, midwife, teacher, academic and senior leader have allowed me to accumulate a wealth of knowledge, expertise and skills which I can draw on when establishing coaching relationships. These, along with well -developed interpersonal skills and a high level of emotional intelligence enables me to establish rapport easily and inspire confidence in my clients.
• I love seeing people develop, make changes and succeed in achieving their stated goals. I am passionate about supporting diversity and inspiring women and other under-represented groups to succeed at the highest levels of leadership in universities. As a coach I am enthusiastic, energetic, supportive, encouraging and, occasionally, challenging to facilitate progress towards these goals. I am reliable and will show commitment to you as a client, for example by trying to be as flexible as possible to enable coaching sessions to fit within busy work schedules.
Relevant coaching qualifications and accreditations:
ILM Level 7 PG Diploma in Executive Mentoring and Coaching
Member of the Association of Coaching (MAC)
Associate Member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council UK
Member of the Institute of Directors
If you would like to discuss having some coaching, please do get in contact at lesley.dobree@dialogueforsuccess.com or visit my website for more information at www.dialogueforsuccess.com